Time’s up for the Yes2Rail blog, which I launched on June 30, 2008 as a paid consultant on Honolulu's elevated rail project. Yes2Rail’s August 13, 2012 post was its last following the author's move to Sacramento, CA. You’re invited to read four-plus years of information-packed entries, many of which are linked at our “aggregation site.” Look for the paragraph with red copy in the right-hand column, below. Mahalo for all the positive comments Yes2Rail received since its start.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

• NOTE: We've cited the City's Alternatives Analysis report on the project repeatedly at this blog and recommend it as a source of factual information on the Honolulu steel wheel system. Click here to access this super-detailed document.

Tucked inside your Honolulu Sunday newspaper is the City’s eight-page brochure on the steel wheel project with easy-to-read super factoids about the system. One of the most striking displays is titled: Why was steel-wheel technology chosen for Honolulu?

The short answer is that the technology was identified as far superior to other technologies and was recommended by a panel of verifiable transit experts (well, the 80% that recommended steel are transit experts; the dissenter is a highway expert).

Steel wheels scored YES on each of them; elevated HOT toll roads rated NO on each, and rubber-tire fixed guideway rated NO on four of the nine.

Rail is the proven technology compared to the alternatives; 56 of 62 projects funded by the Federal Transit Administration since 1992 are steel systems. Check out the newspaper insert for more on the technology selection.

Community Update Meetings

Here’s the schedule for the remaining Community Update meetings on the Honolulu Rail Transit Project:

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Yesterday we cited a statistic from the Alternatives Analysis (AA), a document that’s recommended reading for anyone in search of factual information about Honolulu’s steel wheel system. The stat: There will be 11 percent fewer Vehicle Hours of Delay with transit than without it (see Page 3-22 in the AA).

Continuing that thought, the AA also notes that simply increasing the number of buses on the roads – the alternative that rail critics often propose – would reduce future traffic congestion by only 1.3 percent.

And then there’s the HOT Lanes alternative, another favorite of rail’s critics. When you build more highways into town to accommodate more vehicles, the only conceivable result in increased road congestion. As the AA says on Page 3-13:

“Nimitz Highways is already projected to be over capacity at this point (Pacific Street, where the elevated highway’s vehicles would return to surface streets), and the addition of high volumes of traffic exiting and entering the managed lanes would create increased congestion and high levels of delay for all vehicles using the facility, including buses. Hence, much of the time saved on the managed lane itself would be negated by the time spent in congestion leading up to the managed lane as well as exiting the lanes at their Downtown terminus.”

It’s this kind of detailed analysis that illuminates the issues and dispels the myths in the debate on rail. It can be heavy reading but worth the effort to understand what the Honolulu Rail Transit program is all about.

Community Update Meetings

Here’s the schedule for the remaining Community Update meetings on the Honolulu Rail Transit Project:

Friday, October 17, 2008

One of the arguments thrown at rail supporters is that the rail system won’t “solve” the congestion problem on our roads. The follow-up often is: “What’s the point of spending all that money on a non-solution?” The answer, of course, is that the money will be spent on an alternative to car travel and sitting in traffic.

Let’s face it: Unless you’re prepared to pave over all the remaining open space on Oahu, congestion during morning and afternoon rush hour is a Fact of Life and likely always will be. There’s only so much space on this island between the mountains and the sea, and despite the billions of dollars that will be spent on highway and road improvements in the next two decades, traffic is here to stay.

That’s the natural conclusion when you consider that Oahu’s population is expected to increase by nearly 200,000 souls by 2030, most of the growth because residents will have babies. Ninety-two percent of that growth will be within the urban corridor between Kapolei and its vicinity and town.

The Avoidance Alternative

With those demographics, it has been obvious to the City’s leaders for decades that a grade-separated transit system running through the heart of that corridor is the logical way to complement the other modes of transportation on the island – car, bus, bicycles, boat, whatever.

But grade-separated transit is transportation of a different sort altogether. It’s the only way of moving through our city that is completely immune to traffic congestion. As we’ve said here repeatedly, grade-separated transit is the only mode that allows you to accurately predict your arrival time, every time you travel. You can’t do that any other way.

So rather than being a “solution” to traffic, Honolulu’s steel wheel system will be the alternative way of traveling that will restore mobility for our citizens. You may not take the train every day, but the cost-savings and convenience of traveling by train will be a no-brainer for thousands of island commuters. And if you absolutely, positively must arrive across town on time, taking the train will guarantee your timely arrival.

Oh, yeah. About growth in the number of cars and the resulting impact on traffic congestion…. The City’s Alternatives Analysis predicts there will be 11 percent fewer Vehicle Hours of Delay with transit than without it (Page 3-22).

Community Update Meetings

Here’s the schedule for the remaining Community Update meetings on the Honolulu Rail Transit Project:

Yesterday we reviewed three of the City’s goals in building its steel wheel system, so we’ll round out the list of six today starting with the Economy. An estimated 7,500 jobs will be created by the project over the next eight years, resulting in more than 90,000 “person years” of employment in direct and indirect jobs. The estimated multiplier effect on the project’s investment is six; for every dollar spent on the project, the community will receive six dollars of benefit.

One of the myths about the system’s impact on the Environment that was addressed at last night’s forum at Manoa Elementary school is that Hawaiian Electric Company would have to build another generation plant to power the system. City representatives said it’s not true; HECO says it will have sufficient resources to meet the system’s electricity demand. And as we’ve noted here many times, Honolulu’s train system is likely to eventually be run exclusively on renewable energy from the sun, sea, winds and biofuels.

Lastly, Sustainable Growth is another project goal – focusing growth in designated areas, such as near train stations, and away from areas that might best be left for agriculture or open space. As some like to say, it will help “keep the country country.”

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The City has just published a new brochure that contains the FAQ’s on the system – e.g., “Why don’t we just add more buses?” and “Why won’t ‘Hot’ lanes or roadways work?” We’ll get to those and other topics soon enough but will start with the goals of the Honolulu rail transit system.

We’ve had quite a bit to say already about Goal #1 – improving mobility within the urban corridor for Honolulu citizens. Here’s what the brochure says on the subject:

“We need to get from here to there – island-wide. The roads and freeways are often congested, limiting our community’s mobility. A full-elevated, steel wheel rail transit system will be able to move thousands of people per hour without taking away the already limited highway and road space we have now.”

A to B to A Again

The majority of West Oahu residents who work in town have a relatively uncomplicated need to move from point A (home) to point B (work) and back again. Sure, there are days when they also make side trips to the cleaners or supermarket, but getting from A to B and back to A is the essential commuting experience for most of them.

The transit system will let them do that with unparalleled ease and reliability. By being completely separated from surface traffic congestion, the system’s elevated trains will stay on schedule and deliver their passengers reliably on time. Instead of gripping a steering wheel for an hour or more, commuters will travel the length of the system between Kapolei and Ala Moana Center in about 40 minutes while reading, computing, sleeping, conversing, whatever. The argument that “nobody will ride it” simply has no credibility when you consider how convenient and appealing the transit experience will be.

The Fairness Factor

Unlike the so-called HOT lane alternative, rail transit treats everyone fairly by charging only an affordable fare – the same as for TheBus and TheBoat. Working families, students, seniors and others on a budget will be able to afford the train; then, as now, a monthly pass will work system-wide.

The brochure’s Goals section wraps them up nicely:

“Rail transit, as part of an overall public transportation system, is a way to enhance Honolulu’s quality of life by easing traffic congestion, enhancing our economy, reducing pollution, and providing greater mobility for us and future generations.”

Sunday, October 12, 2008

[Note: The City’s booth at the Food & New Products Show is on the ewa side of the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall next to the florists’ display. A new 4-minute computer-generated “flyover” video shows the route from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center, and City representatives are available today to answer questions.]

As we’ve noted here many times, Mobility is the key issue. Honolulu residents have no true Mobility today because their travel can be interrupted without warning by heavy congestion on surface streets and highways. Our post last Tuesday showed what drivers experience on freeways, streets and – where they’re employed – HOT Lanes, too. As they say, it happens.

A travel-time comparison between the steel wheel system and the critics’ alternative HOT Lane proposal would have been useful. The City's Alternative Analysis notes that users of HOT Lanes eventually have to return to surface streets, where rush hour traffic would await. Here’s the AA’s finding on that point:

“In general, however, the two Managed Lane options would increase traffic on the overall roadway system and create more delay for buses. While bus speeds on the managed lanes are projected to be relatively high, the H-1 freeway leading up to the managed lanes is projected to become more congested when compared to the other alternatives, because cars accessing the managed lanes would increase traffic volumes in those areas. Additionally, significant congestion is anticipated to occur where the managed lanes connect to Nimitz Highway at Pacific Street near Downtown. Nimitz Highway is already projected to be over capacity at this point, and the addition of high volumes of traffic exiting and entering the managed lanes would create increased congestion and high levels of delay for all vehicles using the facility, including buses. Hence, much of the time saved on the managed lane itself would be negated by the time spent in congestion leading up to the managed lane as well as exiting the lanes at their Downtown terminus.”

The system is intended to restore Mobility and reduce travel time for commuters, and we hope the Advertiser will make that specific comparison in a future article – 40 minutes between Kapolei and Ala Moana Center during rush hour (and any other time) compared to car and bus travel during rush hour no matter the route.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Here are some facts about the Honolulu steel wheel system for citizens still looking for information.

HOT Lanes and Tolls

Proponents of HOT lanes as an alternative to the proposed transit system almost always use the acronym – HOT – rather than spell out "high occupancy toll." That’s because T obviously stands for Tolls. Drivers willing to pay the toll gain access to the lanes, and those who don’t, don’t. The Orange County, California HOT lanes cost $10 each way during rush hour; drivers willing to pay $20 per round trip during rush hour can use the lanes, but if you’re not willing to shell out an additional $100 per week, you’re stuck in surface traffic because there’s no alternative to traffic in Orange County. The alternative to being stuck in traffic between ewa and downtown will be the steel wheel system, which will carry commuters above surface congestion without the costs of HOT lane tolls, gasoline, vehicle maintenance and parking.

Federal Support

Another detail HOT lane proponents don’t like to mention is that there’s no money to pay for it. The ½ percent increase in the general excise tax is now being collected for the steel wheel system; those funds are prohibited from being used on any other project. Consider, too, the fact that federal money will pay for a big chunk of the project. The Federal Transit Administration shows a clear preference in supporting steel wheel projects; 56 of the 62 projects the FTA has funded since 1992 have been steel.

How to Save a Bundle

When a family eliminates one car from its household, the annual estimated savings is $11,000. Families who choose to take advantage of transit-oriented development and live near a station will find train commuting so convenient that many likely will see no need for a second car.

Six Is the Magic Number

The estimated “multiplier effect” of investment in a major project like Honolulu’s steel wheel system is six. That is, for every dollar invested in the system, the positive economic impact on the community is expected to be six dollars thanks to job creation, transit-oriented development and similar benefits.

Boosting the Economy

And speaking of jobs, the Honolulu steel wheel system is expected to create 7,500 direct and indirect jobs during its construction. That translates to over 90,000 “person years” of employment; i.e., that’s how many total years of employment will be generated for everyone working on the project.

You Want More?

Stop by the 44th Annual Food and New Products Show at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall this weekend. The Honolulu transit system will have a booth, and representatives will answer your questions about the project. The Show runs Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 10 to 5.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

This photo on page B-1 of today’s Honolulu Advertiser shows what can happen to your Mobility on any given day at any time if you travel by car through Honolulu’s urban corridor. The backup occurred on the H-1 freeway after a bus accident between the Waimalu and Waipahu exits and stretched back past the Kaahumanu Street overpass, according to the Advertiser (photo credit: Bruce Asato). The City’s planned steel wheel system will enable residents to completely avoid traffic disruptions like this one.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

We can’t let the weekend go by without noticing the “Stop Rail brings the noise” story in yesterday’s Advertiser. The “I didn’t notice anything” quote pretty much says it all, along with comments by spokespersons for the City’s steel wheel system.

We’ll only suggest that the boom-box-in-a-truck tactic is part of the Sideshow we wrote about here three months ago. Tactics that attempt to divert attention from Oahu’s mobility problem are being used by the anti-rail “barkers” who stand in front of the smaller tents.

The real issue the system is intended to address is the lost mobility of Oahu citizens. That’s the reason to build the system – the Big Tent issue. With the system, mobility is restored; without it, mobility would continue as a dream for commuters who simply want to move quickly and reliably on-time between the ewa plain and town.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Just about all the factual information you could want on the Honolulu steel wheel system is found in the Alternatives Analysis prepared for the project. Delve into the AA and you’ll eventually find a subject sure to interest future riders – headways, or the time between trains.

The shorter the headways, the better commuters like it, so how often will the trains run between the ewa side and Ala Moana Center? Imagine that you’re a regular rider on the completed system in a dozen years. As you step off a feeder bus at the station near the UH-West Oahu campus, you see a train just leaving toward town on the overhead track.

You can pick out the first-time riders by their frustration for having just missed the train. But you know it “ain’t no big thing,” because another train will be along in only 3 minutes. The headways in both the morning and evening rush hours will be that short, so there’s almost no waiting at all between 6 and 9 a.m. and 3 and 6 in the afternoon. Headways on either side of the rush hours aren’t much longer – 6 minutes – and they increase to 10 minutes from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Your train pulls into the station in a couple minutes; you take out your ThinkPad laptop to catch up on the news. Because it’s 2020, it really IS a ThinkPad. You just think about which newspaper you want to read online and it comes up on the screen.

OK, we’re only guessing about that, but the part about headways? Count on it.

This Isn't Political

Yes2Rail is a blog about the Honolulu rail transit project, which has become the key issue in this year’s mayoral race. We comment on the candidates’ plans to address Oahu’s growing congestion problem and whether those plans could meet the need as well as elevated rail can and will. That’s not the same as criticizing the candidates, and we urge our readers to recognize the difference.

Another red-light runner meets Denver at-grade train, 6.13.12

Honolulu rail will be elevated, with zero possibility for accidents like those shown in this column in cities with at-grade systems. Visit our "aggregation site" for much more on why elevated rail is the only reasonable way to build Honolulu rail.

What riding the train will avoid

Bus Accident Aftermath on H-1

'Black Tuesday'--9/5/06 Crash Produced Nightmare Commute

Typical H-1 Traffic

About Me

After five years of active-duty service as an Army officer with duty stations in West Berlin and South Vietnam, reported and edited for newspapers and broadcast stations (including all-news radio) in Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and Honolulu. Covered Honolulu city government for the Honolulu Advertiser and KGMB-TV. Served on Congressman Cec Heftel's staff in Honolulu and Washington, then managed corporate communications and was Hawaiian Electric Company's spokesman for nearly a decade. A communications consultant for 19 years before moving to California in 2012. Launched, produced and hosted Hawaii Public Radio's "live" weekly "Energy Futures" public affairs program in 2009-10. Authored books on The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific ("Punchbowl" 1982) and on the decline of standard grammar in business and society ("Me and Him Are Killing English!" 2007). Now an information officer with the California Department of Water Resources.